The Verdict is in...

So, went to the Rheumatologist on Monday as planned and much to my surprise and anticipation I actually got some answers! One thing was Raynaud's Phenomenon which is pretty much an intolerance to cold as well as poor circulation. I wasn't expecting that but my fingers and toes turned blue while I was there so it was pretty clear for her to see what was going on there. Also, Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain. Not so much a surprise to me or my mother who went with to support.

What does all this mean? Well for starters I am off work for a few months to get the pain, fatigue and headaches under control. Then it is only suggested I return to work part time...so much for my U Weight Loss Job...figures. Secondly my diet, my routine, my ideas of exercise and my life all HAVE to change. Last, I will as I have already encounter people that have so many opinions on what this is (or isn't) and how I should deal with it or how I did it to myself. I say to that....please ask me questions, I am happy to share. Need information, sure I already have tons of it. Support me, Judd and Aidan as we begin our journey to understand, ACCEPT and learn how to deal with this...absolutely please! If you don't know or don't care to know I don't want to know your opinion...clear? Yes! OK let's move on....

We are laughing at times about it (we can have a dark sense of humor), we cry about it and have already pounded our fists at it but, the reality is that it is here and we are all dealing with it which is key! I am reading as much as I can, seeing as many specialists as possible and figuring it all out as fast as I can achieve. My appointment next week with the pain specialist will hopefully bring new light on the situation...although I am not a fan of pharmaceuticals, I will take them happily in the short term to get over this speed bump that has slowed me down for the past couple of months.

Enough about me yeesh....I will keep everyone up to date on my progress, I am looking at it as an adventure and what better excuse is there to lead a pure and simple life from this point forward! On with the show....

Aidan is PUMPED for Christmas, he has already made his list which had some interesting items that he not previously shared that he wanted such as a skateboard and sports events tickets. His big gift that he is hoping for is a Wii, unfortunately I don't think Santa will be loading that on his sleigh with an Aidan name tag this year and I have prepared Aidan for the outcome already. This year we are being creative with our gift giving and since I am home there will be a lot of more sentimental giving rather than merchandise. I think those are more cherished gifts anyway but, regularly it would be hard to find the time. I will let you know what they are after the season as I don't want to spoil the surprise! He is also big on the snow this year and was excited to finally see it fall last week. Let's say he is getting some pretty good use of his winter gear already and especially enjoys wrestling in the snow with Judd and Kneesaa!

Judd is on a mission of health again (last time was right before Mexico). He is on the treadmill every morning and does at least 5km of running each and every day! He is working up to 10km on the weekends and is frequently doing push-ups in the living room. I am secretly proud of him but, I make fun of him anyway because I am jealous of his dedication and drive. He has already lost the extra poundage he put on over the summer (beer would be the culprit) and looks fantastic as always!

Still no progress on the home reno's so nothing to say there, really other than the above we are just plugging along taking our happy moments where we can get them. Hope you are all happy and healthy and enjoying the winter weather!

A little bitter today,,,

Spring is here which makes us soooo happy to be out and about and playing outside everyday. The mood has certainly been lifted all around and we are anxiously waiting for the trees to start showing their true colors!

We have watched quite a few ecological movies over the past week (hence the title), this is a good thing as we are learning more and more about the importance of nature and how disconnected we are as humans. It is nice for me that Judd & Aidan are also becoming aware of the issue facing us today and they both show genuine interest so I don't feel so alone in my pursuit for information.

This week we took a gander at

Into the Wild - a Sean Penn film based on a true story about a young man who becomes intolerant of society and ventures out to live with and off of only nature. His journey brings him into the wild of Alaska where the movie depicts some very valuable lessons. It is long and really has to be your type of subject but if it is, it is definitely worth a bowl of organic popcorn!

11th Hour - Although this movie was less exciting, Leonardo DiCaprio really did a wonderful job of putting a different spin on our environmental crisis. With some great scientific facts about how humans have an unfounded superiority complex over nature and some brave statements from environmentalist and ecologists alike it does its job well and has some great information

Shark Water - the most disheartening film Ive seen in a while but an important one at that. Depicts the story of how sharks are being killed at a rate of 15,000 an hour and are literally being wiped out due to humans mythical fear of them. It is a great documentary to learn about the prehistoric existence of sharks and how life on earth cannot be sustained without them. It has some shocking footage and I have to say that even with my desensitised mind to most horrific scenes this one hit me right where it hurts most...my heart. This made me so disgusted with our race and how we have become dictators of what species live and what species die all for meaningless profit. It is worth your money and worth your existence to watch and learn more about these crucial creatures.

With that being said, here is some happy news for us on the home front. Our bathroom is complete (aside from some caulking that will be done this weekend). Amazing how a journey to a completed bathroom has taught me how insignificant what my bathroom looks like, the paint color and aesthetics really are in the grand scheme of things. We are constantly learning over here, how to become more humble and less fixated on small things that really don't matter. We are grateful for our beautiful new bathroom and will enjoy it indeed! We used water based varnishes and no VOC paint for the bathroom as well and long behold they work! I actually found that I enjoyed the process more without the horrible smells and found the paint to work much better than the alternative.

Aidan is doing well, enjoying his increased time at home and the wonderful weather we are having. He is a good boy, we are very lucky to be his parents. Our family will grow soon in more ways than one (no Im not pregnant, I meant by others) and we are very excited about that!

Here are some pics of our new bathroom, take a gander and if you're going to be renting movies this weekend be sure to pick up one or all of the above mentioned! Happy Spring everyone!

PS - I wish I was a Sea Shepard!

Lots Has Happened Since We Last Spoke!

So I promise I am not trying to make it a habit to take so long to update this thing, I will keep trying to do my best and be more consistent for those loyal readers!

As usual we will start with the center of our little world Aidan! His 5th birthday went off without a hitch, I think we had just the right amount of kids show up so that it wasn't too crazy and they all behaved really well which was a bonus for the parents. It was nice to get to talk to his friends parents for more than a moment passing in the hallway at the daycare. The theme was Pirates and of course we went all out with decorations, a pirate cake, pirate hats & tattoos and of course treasure chest loot bags! We rented a bouncer which was WELL worth the money for how long it kept the kids occupied! Aidan had tons of fun and was in a daze for the rest of the day and had a bit of a birthday hangover the following day!

Soccer finished up and we will be going to the awards this weekend where he receives his trophy for participating...when I was little we only got one if we won, I guess times have changed and it's all about "participation" not "winning". Aidan is not a natural soccer player by far and was more interested usually in what was for half time snack but I think he had fun none the less and met some new friends. I think next year it will get a little more structured which would be better to watch!

Finally our little man officially started Kindergarten today! He was soooo excited and got dressed really fast this morning, put on his backpack and was ready to go! He seemed a little nervous when we got there but warmed up pretty quick when he saw his new teacher which he has been saying "Bonjour" to in the hallway for the past year! I can't wait to pick him up and see how it went!

Judd has been busy with home renovations and him and Papa have gotten so much done in the past few months! The entire exterior is prepped and ready for stucco. 11 new windows and a new front door have gone in and we love every single one of them! They even built a new little porch in the front off the deck to give us some room for shoes and jackets. It is surreal that this is all happening so fast, I am very lucky to have the father I have who was willing to help us do all this! I will post some completed pictures after the weekend as they will be done the porch then too.

Wedding preparations are still under way and I was able to pick out and purchase my wedding dress in 3 hours flat with the help of my mom and maid of honor! I didn't really feel like a bride until then but I sure starting acting like one after that! I also got my new engagement ring which we upgraded the color and downgraded the clarity so that we wouldn't have to pay any extra. I have to say I absolutely love this one, and although it is not the original it is definitely the next best thing (and much more sparkle).

We are busy gearing up for the Bud, Spud & Steak wedding fundraiser on October 13th trying to get all the tickets out and organizing prizes for the raffle. So far so good and we are really getting excited to see everyone all at once! As a bonus it turned out that recording artist David Usher is going to be playing a show right after and the hotel is giving everyone at the Bud, Spud a discounted price for his show! Hope you all got your tickets so you can join the fun!

Kneessa is really depressed as I have been home with Mono for the past 2.5 weeks and haven't been taking her for walks so she mopes around and gives me puppy dog eyes, although we have done plenty of bonding and she now loves to sleep right on top of me while I have one of my many naps! I was feeling a bit better but then found out I also got strep throat so I am now on antibiotics for that as well! Hopefully I will be good as new soon so I can get on with all this planning I have going on! I go back to work next Wednesday...what a holiday, I spent most of it in bed! Ichabod is much skinnier and is busy killing small animals for sport outside which we find mean and greedy of him but CANNOT keep him inside as he just continuously does his worst Siamese meow at the door until we let him out. If you've ever had a Siamese cat, you know there is no ignoring him.

Well I think that the gist for now! Thanks to those who continuously check and are interested in our lives! Like I said I will try to update more regularly for you! Maybe I will get Judd to start updating...yeah right!

Take care everyone!

Love, Judd, Sarah, Aidan, Kneessa & Ichabod